


Every day’s a test (of our camaraderie and bravery)

by sdottkrames



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:53:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22531270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sdottkrames/pseuds/sdottkrames
Summary: Febuwhump prompts! These are all just one shots; some are AU’s some are (mostly) canon compliant. I’ve never done challenges like this, so...here goes!
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Kudos: 17





	1. Lost

**Author's Note:**

> I’m a day late and I stayed up until 2:30 finishing writing this, so hopefully it’s not crap 😂

Peter was in trouble. As in, with a capital T. 

“Karen? Please...Karen. I need help!”

There was no answer, despite the desperation in his voice. Then again, he hadn’t really expected one. Whoever he’d fought had obviously known about the system that allowed him access to the AI and had broken it. He pulled out his phone and saw it would be no help either. No service.

Peter stifled a scream. His day had been going just FINE until Karen had alerted him to a routine bank robbery. Except the robber had been using some crazy enhanced tech and had caught Peter by surprise. Peter had been knocked unconscious and when he woke up, the suit had been damaged and he had no clue where he was.

Peter paused to take a few deep breaths, trying not to panic, and looked around. All he could see was trees. Well, he wasn’t in New York City anymore. 

The sun was starting to go down, so that meant he’d been out for a number of hours. It was Internship night, so Tony would notice he was gone, right?

Right?

Uncertainty and despair warred with hope inside him. Why would Tony care that Peter didn’t show up one night? He probably would be relieved to have a break and spend more time with the other avengers or Pepper.

Before he could dwell too long on the thoughts infiltrating his brain, he shook his head. It didn’t help all that much. The thoughts had already sunk their sharp claws in. But he shook his head again and started walking, trying to remember everything he’d learned from binge watching Man Vs. Wild a few months earlier. 

Water. He had to find water. His dry throat agreed. He closed his eyes and let his senses expand out, allowing his super hearing to take over. He heard birds rustling, and leaves swishing in the wind. But no water.

Alright. Higher vantage point?

He looked around to find the tallest tree and scaled it easily, even enjoying himself a little bit as he let loose a little and flipped from branch to branch. When he reached the top, he caught his breath. The sunset was beautiful! But he sharpened his senses again, this time letting his eyesight have full range. He barely saw something glint in the distance and crossed his fingers that it would be water.

Before he started climbing down the tree, his phone rang, startling him and nearly causing him to fall off the branch.

Peter glanced at his phone. Mr Stark! 

***

Tony was working on a new iron man suite when FRIDAY reminded him that today Peter would be coming.

He smiled as he got up and stretched. Internship days were always the best day in his opinion. Peter was one of the best things to happen to him, and he loved every minute spent listening to the kid ramble about his friend Ted and his new girlfriend (Tony had seen that coming months ago, and it was almost painful to watch the lovesick teenager agonize over his crush and best friend).

Tony ordered the kid’s favorite take-out about 20 minutes before he usually arrived and set himself to work again.

The food came, but Peter didn’t. Tony wrote it off as the kid just being late, thought it was weird he hadn’t at least called or texted. 

Then an hour passed and Tony was starting to really worry. He got no answer each time he called Peter. He called May. He called Ted. None of them knew where Peter was.

The final straw was when Tony tried to connect to Karen, but he saw she’d been disconnected. Peter had promised on his life that he’d never tamper with the suit again, so Tony knew that it was something else.

Within minutes, he had an entire police task force looking for his kid, but it didn’t help the ringing in his ear or his pounding heart. His only thought was Peter, Peter, Peter.

He jumped into a suit and started flying over the city when the cops finished their questions. Standing around and waiting wasn’t an option, not with his kid on the line.

He saw nothing, though. FRIDAY searched and searched but none of the hundreds of people he sifted through were Peter!

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Tony went further, entering a different burrough of the city. Every face that wasn’t Peter’s caused his frustration to soar higher and higher, the ringing in his ear reaching a fever pitch. He knew he was on the verge of a panic attack, but he couldn’t stop. He had to keep looking. He had to find Peter.

He tried calling Peter’s cell phone, over and over. Each time, it didn’t even ring, meaning the phone was either dead or out of service.

Suddenly, like a miracle, the phone actually rang. 

“Mr. Stark!”

Tony gasped in weak relief at hearing the boys voice again. Friday immediately started tracking the phone signal. “Peter. Where the heck are you?!” 

Peter’s voice crackled in and out of focus as he responded. “I don’t know. I couldn’t...service until now...fighting this guy and...” he was abruptly cut off as the phone lost its tenuous reception. 

Tony groaned. “Fri, tell me you got something for me! I might actually blow up a building if you don’t.”

***

Peter had been so relieved to hear Tony’s voice, but the signal was lost as quickly as it had been found. He tried not to cry in frustration and loneliness. At least Mr. Stark has noticed he was gone!

Hoping that Mr. Stark has been able to track his phone’s location, Peter opted to stay close by his tree. He found a bush with some blackberries close by, and snacked on those a little bit. He also gathered some wood and found a fairly open clearing nearby to light a fire in, which Peter kept small so nothing else got burned, but hopefully large enough to attract attention. 

The blackberries disappeared quickly, and didn’t do much to stave off Peter’s rumbling stomach as another hour passed. Stars started winking into existence, and despite the beauty, Peter grew more and more miserable. He curled into a ball and tried to slow his breathing and stem the tears. It didn’t work.

Suddenly, a low hum filled the air, and Peter’s head shot up. Illuminated by the fire and the light of the arc reactor was Iron Man.

Peter ran at his mentor without another word, barreling into the open arms with a sob.

“It’s okay, Pete. I’ve gotcha,” Tony murmured.

“I was lost. And, and it was dark,“ he stammered. “I was so scared you wouldn’t...I didn’t know if you’d notice I was gone!”

“Peter!” Tony’s voice was suddenly harsh, but his arms were incredibly gentle as the hugged peter tighter. “Kid, I care about more than almost anything else. I’ll always have your back, okay? I really mean that.”

Peter nodded, the sincerity in Tony’s voice gently detaching the claws of those earlier ugly thoughts and soothing the rawness left behind in a burst of warmth.

“Now let’s get back home. And I wanna hear all about how you ended up in Morristown, New Jersey.”

Peter relaxed in his mentor’s arms as they took off towards New York. He was going home.


	2. Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *** Peter, as a baby, throws up. It’s not described super graphically, but if that bothers you, Skip this chapter ***
> 
> AU where Peter is Tony and Pepper’s child, Pepper leaves town while Tony watches 8-month-old Peter. He’s already nervous to be on his own with the baby, but when the little guy gets sick and super fussy, Tony really isn’t sure how good a dad he actually is.

“You’re sure you’re gonna be okay?”

Tony gave his wife a look that belied the nervousness he felt. “Oh ye of little faith,” he scoffed. “I’ll be fine, Pep. WE will be fine, right bubba?” Tony directed the last bit to the little boy on his hip, tickling his side.

Peter squirmed in Tony’s arms and giggled.

“Okay, baby. Give mommy a hug and kiss goodbye. I’ll see you in a few days.”

Peter went willingly to Pepper’s arms, and coo’d as she snuggled him. Tony wrapped his arms around the two of them, taking a calming breath, and reveling in the feeling of having his favorite people in his arms.

He kissed Pepper properly before hefting Peter in his arms again, and she grabbed her bag and walked out the door, leaving Tony with an 8-month-old.

“Okay, bud. Just you and me.” Peter babbled in response. “Yeah, me too.” 

Tony checked his watch. 5:00. He could do this. Peter usually went to bed at 7:30, so all he had to do was dinner, bath, a little bit of play, and then it was bottle and bedtime. 

I’ve got this, he thought.

***

A loud shrieking entered Tony’s consciousness, disrupting his dream. He was soon wide awake as he recognized the shrieking as Peter. Everything had gone so smoothly; why was Peter screaming?

Fearing the worst, Tony sprinted down the hall, his heart pounding, and threw open the nursery door.

What greeted him almost brought him to tears.

Peter was standing in his crib, his hair matted in sweat, with vomit down his front. His face was pale and tears streamed down the chubby cheeks. 

“Oh, bubba,” Tony breathed. He grabbed a clean pair of pajamas, picked Peter up, and quickly laid him down on the floor. Once Peter was clean, Tony set Peter down and changed the sheets. His heart throbbed as his little boy screamed, begging to be held. 

Tony tried to stay calm, but he felt so out of his league. His 8-month-old had thrown up. Not spit up, but actually thrown up chunks of pureed carrots and apples (who came up with baby food flavors, anyway?). Tony was pretty sure Peter was also running a fever.

This /would/ happen just as Pepper left for town, Tony thought, almost as miserable as his son. 

Once the bed was clean, Tony picked up his sobbing son. the little guy held onto Tony’s neck, but kept sobbing. Tony tried bouncing him, tried toys, a pacifier, even the TV. 

What do you do to calm down a sick baby? Tony thought, desperately, trying to keep his own panic down. What if Peter was really sick. He was going to be fine, right? Right? Peter couldn’t be dying? Babies survived things like fevers and stomach bugs, right?

“FRIDAY!” 

“Yes, sir?”

How do you calm a sick baby?”

“I suggest the Italian lullaby your mother used to sing you. Miss pepper sings it to Peter and he seems to like it. And also taking deep breaths. A panic attack won’t help calm young Peter.”

Tony situated himself into the rocker in the corner of the room and took a few breaths. His voice was thick with worry and sleep, but he started singing. Peter’s wails quieted after a moment, and his heaving breaths slowly calmed into steady breathing as he slowly drifted off to sleep. Tony gently walked back to his room, and laid back onto the pillow. He never moved in his sleep- even with a nightmare, he only twitched- so he felt comfortable situating Peter on his chest.

Exhaustion weighed him down and he quickly drifted off to sleep.

*** 

How do you check a baby’s temperature? Tony had heard horror stories of thermometers and butts, but there HAD to be a better way to do it than that.

He was freaking out cause around 7 that morning, he’d again been startled awake by a loud wail, and Peter had been burning up. An hour and a half later, Tony was covered in mushy cereal that Peter had refused to eat for breakfast and Peter was still crying. 

He bounced his sweaty son, trying to console him and praying for some inspiration. Peter was such a happy baby, and was hardly ever sick. He didn’t have the least idea what to do and he was freaking. Out.

Suddenly, he remembered a child thermometer and found it in the kitchen cabinet. But how did the darn thing work? They’d never used it. Peter had been heathy as a horse beside the occasional runny nose and slight cough. 

“Friday, how do I work this thermometer?!” 

“Turn it on.” She waited while Tony pushed the button. “Now rub the grey end across Peter’s forehead, and then look at the small screen that will say his temperature.”

Tony followed her instructions and the thermometer said 100.1.

Tony tried to not freak out, but he was a first time father. Peter was the light in his life. What did he do?! When do you head to the hospital? Should he call pepper? He didn’t want to worry her, but he was freaking out. 

Before he could decide, his phone rang and Pepper’s picture lit up his phone and his heart. Relief bloomed in his chest as he answered.

“Hey babe! How’s it going?”

“Pepper! Peter threw up and now he’s got a fever and ohmygosh is he gonna die? Pep, I can’t do this!”

Pepper chuckled. “That’s why he’s screaming. Tony, kids get sick. What’s his temperature? You took it right?”

“Yeah. I found the thermometer and Fri taught me how to use it. It’s 100.1”

Another chuckle. “You’re such a first time dad. I didn’t expect that. I’m sure you’re doing just fine, love. He’s gonna be okay. There’s some baby Tylenol in the same cabinet. He weighs about 19.3 oz, so just follow the directions on the bottle for how much to give him. He’ll feel better with some medicine and sleep. If it gets around 102 or doesn’t come down, take him to the doctor’s.”

“Pepper.” His tone was plaintive, and Pepper knew exactly what that single word meant.

“Tony, I promise. You’re a wonderful dad. Peter loves you, and you are just what he needs right now. You can do this. I’ll reschedule my last meeting cause it’s honestly not that important, and I can be home later tonight. But you can do this.” Her confidence in him helped. 

“Thanks babe. I love you.”

“I love you too. Now go calm your son down.”

He hung up, and readjusted his grip on the wiggly little one. “You liked that song last night, right? Well I’ve got a whole slew of momma’s songs for you. You wanna hear those?” He picked up a stuffed animal, which distracted Peter slightly, and in the momentary quiet, Tony sang. 

While giving Peter medicine, Tony sang.

During lunch, which Peter continued to refuse, Tony sang. 

While they snuggled on the couch later that night, Peter’s fever finally down, Tony sang.

And Peter stopped crying. And Tony’s heart calmed down. He really /could/ do this.

***

When Pepper walked into the living room later that night, she couldn’t help but smile. Tony laid on the couch, holding a swaddled Peter gently to his chest. Peter held Tony’s t-shirt tight in chubby little fists. A lullaby station played softly over the house speaker, both boy’s gentle snoring slipping into the melody as if they were meant to be part of the song.

Pepper definitely didn’t snap a million photos, framing one for a Father’s Day present. And Tony definitely didn’t tear up and look at that photo whenever he felt scared of messing up as a father.

Definitely not.


	3. Living nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony’s nightmare comes true as Peter puts his life on the line to save him. But Peter isn’t just gonna let his da- uh, mentor die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s interesting to see already how much easier writing is for me. And Peter and Tony just warm my heart 💜 anyway, here’s another chapter!

Tony was cursed with knowledge. 

dang it, he never wanted to quote Thanos, but he also couldn’t deny that the ugly grape was right.

A while ago, Tony’d had a nightmare. But this one was different. Since Thanos and bringing everyone back, Tony’s nightmares had calmed down a lot. Tony’s guess was that the threat was eliminated finally, and his brain decided to rest. At least for a few months before it was back to fixating on something else.

Peter.

Tony and the kid had never talked to each other about their relationship, but everyone knew that they were closer than just a mentor/mentee. Tony called the kid son, and he swore Peter almost said “dad” once (though he was equally sure that Peter would vehemently deny it if asked). The kid meant as much to him as Morgan and Pepper did. Unfortunately, that gave his mind all sorts of ammo to use against him.

The nightmare was always the same. Peter, fighting a bad guy. Tony, distracted. Bad guy goes for Tony. Peter throws himself in front of the weapon, saving Tony’s life but sacrificing his own. Tony wakes up crying every time, and has to go wash his hands to get the image of his kid’s blood off them, even if he knows it’s not real.

The weapon changes sometimes, but Peter always dies. 

Tony throws himself into suits again, but not for Iron Man. He upgrades and adds to the Spider suits, trying to help ward off every possible attack

Peter knows about the nightmares. Tony called him at 4 in the morning the first couple times, sobbing, to hear his voice and convince himself that Peter is real. Tony doesn’t call anymore because he’s fine, and Peter will always be fine. He has to be.

And then suddenly, Peter isn’t, and Tony can’t function.

Everything was obscenely ordinary earlier. Tony had taken Peter out for a movie, a new ritual they started in this post-post-snap world, and they’d stopped to get ice cream. Peter had insisted on the frozen treat despite the chilly February air, saying the heater in his suit would keep him plenty warm and appealing to Tony’s pride and competitiveness to bait him into going along.

They were walking home when everything changed.

Two gang men had come out of nowhere and hit Tony on the head. It took him a minute for his vision to clear of spots, and by then, Peter was dodging the men’s clumsy attacks. Even without using his powers, Peter would’ve won. 

That is, until another robber entered the scene, guns blazing. Peter dodged the first bullet, but the second one was aimed at Tony.

Tony had just stood up, legs shaking and head throbbing, when he saw the gun pointed at him. And he felt sick as he realized what would happen next. Spidey sense or no, Tony had been here too many times in his nightmares to NOT recognize where it was going.

“Pete, no!” He screamed at the same time that the bullet left the gun and Peter jumped.

The gunshot and subsequent sound of Peter’s body hitting the ground sped Tony’s mind into hyperdrive. Within seconds, he had activated his gauntlet and shot the last man with a blast from his repulsor.

Satisfied all of the men were incapacitated, Tony dropped to his knees. 

“FRIDAY!” He screamed, desperation making his tone almost manic. “Give me Pete’s vitals and get Happy to my location NOW.”

“Yes, sir.”

Peter’s heart rate and temperature, as well as the immediate injuries, were immediately displayed, along with a few first aide suggestions. 

Tony’s hands shook as he gently took off his scarf and held it firmly to the teen’s side. 

Peter breathing was shallow and his eyes carried a pain he wouldn’t ever voice aloud. “Tony, It’s...okay.”

“No Peter. You listen to me. Fight. Fight for May, Pepper, Morgan, Fred, MJ. Fight for me. Please.”

Peter nodded weakly. “But even so, s’not your fault.”

Tony looked away. He could protect Spider-Man, but how could he protect Peter Parker?

Happy arrived in a record three and a half minutes, though it felt like three lifetimes, with an ambulance and the med bay being prepped. Friday must’ve told him what happened, and Tony couldn’t have been more grateful for the AI’s foresight.

Peter was loaded gently into the ambulance and after another 3 lifetimes, moved to the med bay.

Tony paced while they operated on his boy. He trusted the doctors- Helen Cho was overseeing the process, after all- but his thoughts and pounding heart wouldn’t let him relax.

Stupid nightmares, he thought as he made another round of the room.

Stupid self-sacrificing kid. Another lap.

Stupid gunmen. Another lap.

Stupid ice cream. Stupid movie. Stupid secret identity. Stupid emotions. Stupid everything. Around and around until he couldn’t see through the tears.

He slumped into the nearest chair, and rubbed furiously at his eyes. Too exhausted to move, he sat there. May joined him. Then Pepper. They didn’t speak, but silently grabbed each others hands, communicating without words.

Helen came in not long after, stating that thanks to Peter’s speed healing and Tony’s quick actions, Peter will be just fine. 

They go into the room, and Peter is still knocked out. He’s hooked up to 3 different machines, but Friday informs Tony that they say everything’s normal, so Tony doesn’t have a panic attack.

After a quiet moment alone with Peter, May steps out, and Pepper, sensing what Tony needs, does too. 

“Hey kid,” Tony starts when he’s alone, his voice thick and gravely with emotion. “Thanks, for saving me. And thanks for fighting. I’m so sorry.” Tony’s voice cracks a little. “I’m sorry you had to get hurt. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you, kid. I mean, lost you again. It was the awful the first time. Please don’t ever make me do it again.”

Peter started to move a little, squeezing Tony’s hand (he hadn’t noticed he was holding the kid’s hands), and his eyes fluttered.

“I won’t. But I can’t lose you either, old man.” Peter’s voice is quiet, but steady, and the sound of it does wonders for Tony’s heart.

Then there’s was a flurry of nurses and aunts and an excited Morgan. And through it all, Tony notices that Peter doesn’t let go of his hand. The little contact gives him comfort, an unspoken promise that they will always fight and protect each other. No matter what.

And isn’t that what family’s for?


	4. Red Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red means a lot of things to Peter Parker over the years. Not all of them are good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn’t quite sure what to do for this one, and then all the sudden I had this thought. I don’t know if it counts for whump? I hope you like it! I know had a really fun time writing it 😊 thanks to everyone who has given Kudo’s. It means a LOT! I’m on tumblr as well (sareliza6496) if you wanna scream with me!

Red means a lot of things to Peter Parker. Not all of them are good. 

When he was little, red is the color of his favorite Sesame Street character. Sure, Cookie Monster and Grover were cool, but Elmo was Peter’s favorite. He begged his mom and dad to let him get a goldfish he could name Dorothy. His parents said no, cause he was only 4, but compromised by buying him a stuffed one. Peter slept with that darn fish every night. 

When he first came to live with May and Ben, red is the color of his bedspread. Peter loved it from the moment they went to the store. It was red with all kinds of cool trucks and cars on it, and Peter was in a phase of all things truck at the time. He would sit on his bed and make car noises, pretending the cars were real. They’d go on intense car chases, thrilling races, and life saving fire rescues. He loved that bedspread.

On his first day of high school at Midtown, red is the color of the apple in his lunchbox. May had made him a special lunch, knowing how nervous he was. There was his favorite sandwich (ham and cheese and tomato, squished a little. About the most culinary May could get, honestly), a bag of chips, a brownie, and an apple. May had carefully carved ”Larb you” into the red skin as a little extra support for Peter, and he would be lying if he said he didn’t tear up a little at the sight.

When Peter feels something crawl across the back of his hand during a school field trip to Oscorp, red is the color of the spider that Peter sees when he looks down, and the color that he sees when the blasted thing bites into his skin and draws blood. And later that night, red is the color of pain as his body mutates, his very DNA being rewritten and fused with a different genetic code. When he wakes up from the fever haze, he suddenly has powers he doesn’t know what to do with. 

In a street lit by lamps that illuminate the falling raindrops, red is the color of Ben’s shirt as it soaks through from a bullet wound. Peter screams into the night and police sirens answer back- too loud, too loud. They’re coming closer and getting painfully louder, but it’s worth it if it’ll save Ben. He keeps his hands on Ben’s chest, heaving great sobbing pleas for his uncle to live even as he senses the precious life fade away. It feels like his heart will crack in two.

On the YouTube channel dedicated to Spider-Man (which Peter will deny that he watches until he’s blue in the face), red is the color of the hero that looks out for the little guy. The hero that stops a car with his bare hands, and walks women who feel threatened home, and give Dominican ladies directions.

On a rooftop overlooking the New York harbor, red is the color of Peter’s cheeks as Iron Man- his hero, his savior, his mentor- yells at him and takes away his suit, the only reason Peter believes he can do what he can do. The color of frustration and desperation to be heard and to do the right thing.

As Peter falls into his mentor’s arms, his body being pulled apart even as it clings together, red is he color of the moon he will die on, far away from home and only his mentor to comfort him. Peter knows the desperate pleas he cannot stop from escaping as he faces death will haunt that mentor forever, but even though he knew death was a very real possibility, being faced with it is something Peter was not prepared for, and he doesn’t want to go. Not yet.

With an eerie silence after a fierce battle, red is the color of the infinity gauntlet that chars Tony’s face and breaks his suit. Tony’s arc reactor dies, and Peter hears his heart stop and feels a sick sense of deja vu as he remembers another red-stained scene on another dark night filled with desperate pleas and a fading heartbeat. Peter thinks about another untimely death, another tear-stained funeral and guilt-ridden year, because Peter knows Tony did this for Peter and Peter would trade his life for Tony’s a million times over, just like he would for Ben

But Tony survives, and red is the color of the get well card Peter brings, feeling bashful and shy and so, so relieved. He nearly causes the nurses a heart attack as he launches himself at Tony, sobbing incoherently, making the machines go haywire and causing Tony and everyone else cry, too. 

Red is pain, and anger, and evil. It steals lives away. But red is also love, and justice, and sacrifice. And it also gives lives. Mostly, red stains, for better or worse, and nobody can get out of life without globs of red all over themselves. Peter Parker is no exception. 

Red has many meanings to Peter Parker. And some of them are good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bonus one, because I like it, but I wanted to have the focus be on Peter and Tony and this would’ve come after them and I’m too tired to think of some other way to end this 😂😴
> 
> ***When Peter and MJ kiss for the first time on the Tower Bridge, red is the color of MJ’s lips: soft and warm and comforting. It sends butterflies fluttering wildly in his stomach and causes warmth to spread from his head to his toes, like someone poured warn water on his head.***


	5. Intruder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Pepper and Tony leave Peter and Morgan at the lake house for the evening, intruders sneak into the house and Peter has to keep himself and little stark safe..and also try and stop the intruders from stealing anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who reads these. I started writing because I needed something creative to do, and I've honestly loved it. I never expected anyone to see my work! 
> 
> 10 points to anyone who catches the movie reference in the intruder's names ;)

“Hey kid. Sorry, I know this is really last minute and I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t absolutely have to, but would you be able to watch Morgan tonight? Pep and I have a meeting at the compound, and last time I took Morgan to the compound she stole Bucky’s arm.”

Peter stifled a laugh. That sounded like Morgan alright. She was a 3’5” firecracker with her dad’s sass and her mom’s authoritativeness that made everyone automatically bend to her will. Peter loved his little sister.

“Sure, Mr. Stark. I’d be happy to babysit the little imp. I’m already done with my homework for the weekend- why teachers insist on teaching things we already know is beyond me- and May is working tonight, anyway. What time?”

“Pete, I don’t think the other people already know the stuff. You’re just insanely smart. But why don’t you head over to the lake house right after school. Happy will pick you up.”

“Sure, Mr. Stark! See you later!” Peter hung up and grinned. He loved hanging out with the Starks, and it was Friday!

**Petey Pie:** Hey. Mr. Stark asked if I could babysit Morgan tonight. Is that okay?  
**Aunt May:** Sounds like fun! If he offers to let you stay the night, go ahead. I won’t be home until late, anyway.  
**Petey Pie:** Okay. Larb you!

At lunch, Peter was in such a good mood, Ned kept laughing at him and MJ grumbled that she couldn’t draw him if he was happy. Peter just laughed at his girlfriend and bumped her shoulder. She fought back a smile and called him a loser.

In Chemistry class, Ned and Peter finished their project within the first twenty minutes of class, so they worked on perfecting a new web fluid for the rest of the time. Although Peter had a lab at the compound and the tower, he was so bored, and he liked being able to work with Ned on the formula.

PE was peter’s least favorite subject before the change, and it was even more so now that he had to spend the entire hour and a half block holding back. It was so boring. But he chatted with Ned and MJ as they ran laps and did sit ups, so it wasn’t so bad.  
Finally, the final bell rang, and Peter nearly quivered with excitement as he hugged Ned and kissed MJ goodbye with a quick “haveagoodweekendseeyoulater!” and ran to Happy’s car.

“Hey, Happy! Man, I’m so excited to be out of school and going to see the Starks. What are you doing tonight? Are you gonna hang out with me and Morgan?”

“Kid, I like you and the little imp, but I am not spending my Friday night with two sugar fueled babies. Cause we all know when you babysit Morgan, that’s what happens.” Happy raised his eyebrows at Peter in the rearview, daring him to deny it.

While it was true (Peter couldn’t say no to Morgan’s puppy dog eyes. He never should have taught her that), he still pouted. “Don’t be mean, Happy. You know Morgan has some wicked puppy dog eyes.”

Happy rolled his eyes. “Yeah, she does. And who taught her those?”

“Wait…you know!?”

“Morgan cannot keep a secret. And neither can you. I’m surprised nobody knows about your stunt double.”

Peter feigns hurt with wide eyes and a hand over his heart. “Happy, I am the picture of innocence and secrecy.”

Happy just snorts, and the rest of the car ride is filled with more banter, some teasing about May that makes Peter groan, some responding quips that make Happy blush, and lots of smirks between the two. Happy, for all his hard exterior, is very soft with the kid.

They finally get to the lake house, and as soon as Peter shuts the car door, his spidey-sense pings and he is rammed by something small with soft brown curls.

“PETER!” Morgan yells, trying to climb up his legs. To her credit, she gets past his knees while Peter laughs and cheers her on before picking her up and settling her on his hips.

“Hey, little sunflower. How are we today?”

“better now that you’re here. I’ve been waiting all day.”

Peter makes a big show of deference. “My apologies, oh mighty princess. I was slaying a fierce dragon named PE; it was really quite heroic.” Morgan giggled, and Peter shifted her weight as Tony walked out of the house, arms extended, and walks into the offered hug.

“Underoos! Good to see ya, kid.”

“You, too, Mr. Stark. I feel like it’s been ages!”

“Exactly. You’re welcome to stay the night if you want. Pep and I won’t be back late, and it’s the weekend. We could watch the next Star Wars movie when we get back if you want.”

Peter nodded eagerly. He never got tired of his room at the cabin. Tony, working through his grief, had insisted on making an extra room for him after he’d been dusted. It was red and blue themed, had some of the coolest clothes (Peter was pretty sure some of Tony’s old things had ended up in there, and they were his favorites), and was full of pictures of him and his family- biological and found. He also would never say no to a movie night with the Starks, especially if it was Star Wars.

The group headed inside and Pepper hugged Peter, thanking him again for watching Morgan, gave him a quick run down of her afternoon/evening schedule and then they were gone.

Once Tony and Pepper left, Peter started to feel a low hum in his head and a slight prickle on the back of his neck. He brushed it off. They were practically in the middle of the woods, and FRIDAY would have alerted them if anything was happening, but the feeling didn’t seem to go away. While playing dress-up and knights and princesses (Morgan was the knight, of course), and all through dinner and Morgan’s nightly show. Peter had done a good job ignoring it but had told FRIDAY to be on high alert.

Suddenly, the buzzing became a sharp pain and an immediate instinct to hide took over.

“Peter, two men just came into view of the security cameras near the back window. I can’t seem to get a facial read on them as they seem to be wearing masks. I am alerting the boss now as per the ‘party crashers’ protocol.”

Before Friday even finished, Peter had slung Morgan onto his back like a backpack and climbed to the ceiling. Morgan knew to be very quiet and still and didn’t make a peep. The men walked into the living room as Peter silently crawled across the ceiling to the kitchen. He hid Morgan on the top shelf of the pantry which door was blessedly open. He stayed hidden, too, listening to the intruders.

“You sure this is Stark’s house?” one guy asked, his voice high pitched and nasal.

“Shut up, will ya, Jasper. It’s the right house,” the other guy snapped. His voice was deeper, and Peter pegged him as the leader. The two men walked upstairs, and Peter heard them in his room. Something heavy hit the floor and Peter growled under his breath.

“If they break anything of mine, I’m gonna kill them,” he muttered.

“Petey,” Morgan whimpered.

“Shhhh, sweetie. It’s gonna be okay!” he reached up and squeezed her hand. “I’m here. Everything’s gonna be okay.”

The men were now poking around in Morgan’s room, and Peter was even angrier at the image of them rifling through the little girl’s things. He had to use every ounce of his self-control to not run upstairs and take the guys out. But that would just reveal his identity, and he was trying to avoid that.

The floors creaked as the men moved into Tony and Pepper’s room. They stay there longer than the other rooms, but don’t seem to find what they’re looking. Peter can hear them arguing over some weapon they need.

The steps creak as they come down, and both his and Morgan’s hearts start beating faster. Peter quietly pulls the cabinet door closed a little more in case the men come through the kitchen, and his hands are shaking and his spidey sense is SCREAMING. He closes his eyes and focuses on Morgan before he can go into sensory overload and have a panic attack.

A quiet cheer breaks Peter’s focus, and he hears a door sliding open.

“A secret door,” the high voiced one says. “Awesome!”

“This has to be where Stark’s lab is, and that will be where he keeps the suits.”

For a split second, Peter is incredibly confused as he imagines the men trying to steal some dress suits. Sure, Tony has some reeeeaaalllyyy nice ones, and maybe they’re Iron Man fans? But then he realizes those aren’t exactly the suits they want. Peter didn’t know what they men wanted with the Iron Man suits, but he knows it’s nothing good. He has to stop them.

“Morgan, stay here. Friday already alerted your dad, and he’ll be here soon. Stay on the top shelf, and stay quiet no matter what, okay?” Peter whispers.

“Okay,” comes the shakey reply.

Peter silently opens the door and pads over to the open lab and crawls down the steps.

“See, I’m a big fan of Iron Man, too, but I wouldn’t break into the man’s home and try to steal his stuff.”

The men look at him shocked for a few seconds before they recover.

“Oh yeah? And who are you, you brat?” The man with the deep voice growls. He’s tall and thin, with greasy black hair.

“I live here. More than I can say for you,” Peter crosses his arms sassily, raising his eyebrows at the men. He just needs to keep them talking until Tony can get here. He should be here soon. It’d been long enough.

The shorter, rounder man speaks up. “I don’t know, Jasper. Nobody was ‘posed to be here. I didn’t sign up for this.”

“Shut up, Horace, you’re giving the kid our names,” Jasper snarls, and Peter snorts as Jasper realizes Horace wasn’t the only one giving out names.

“So, Jasper and Horace. What do you need the Iron Man suits for, huh? You making a little fanboy shrine?”

“We ain’t telling you nothing kid. Horace, I think it's time to shut this kid up."

Peter reflexes go into hyper-drive as Jasper pulls out a gun. But he doesn't retreat. He has to keep them here so they don't find Morgan. He has to keep her safe. Tony will be there soon.

He looks around and spots a table with various equipment on it. Before Jasper can use the gun, Peter ducks behind his table, looking for something to get the gun out of the man's hands, or at least act as a kind of shield in case he tries to use it. He looks around quickly, and there isn't anything of the sort on the table he's under; however, across the room on Tony's table Peter sees a big sheet of metal. Maybe that will be strong enough.

The two intruders who are moving towards him, looking like they're going to try and grab him first. Peter is much faster than that, though, and he quickly dodges them. He grabs a few things as her runs, throwing them at the other men. He's so close to reaching the other table when the prick on the back of his neck flares up again and he's too late to dodge the bullet. He hears Morgan scream from upstairs as he hits the ground, his ears ringing from the pain in his shoulder, but the other two don't seem to notice it. Their attention is fully on him. Good.

Jasper curses. "Bloody awful aim. The kid ain't dead yet."

Peter tries to move before he can be shot somewhere less survivable. But the pain in his shoulder is too much and he's moving too slow, like a dream where you're running away in slow motion. The gun cocks and he has time to think, "I'm so sorry, Morgan. I'm sorry, Tony and Pepper and May," before he hears another gunshot.

But there's no pain. Instead, there's a metal clank. Peter looks up and sees an Iron Man suit standing over him.

"YES!" he whoops, loudly, as two repulsors blast the intruders and they hit a wall and crumple to the floor.

"Kid. Are you okay?" Tony's voice is nearly hysteric, even through the metallic tone of the mask.

"Yeah, don't worry. Morgan's fine, too."

"Friday's telling me you were shot!"

"In the shoulder. I'll be fine."

The Iron Man suit walks over to the two unconscious men and switches to sentry mode, watching to make sure they don't move. Another Iron Man suit clanks down the stairs and it opens to let Tony out. He runs to his kid, falling to the ground beside him, taking his face in his and looking over him to make sure the shoulder would was the only thing wrong.

"Mr. Stark, I promise I'm okay. It's just the shoulder." Suddenly Peter remembers. "MORGAN!"

Tony helps Peter up, and they go get Morgan down from the pantry shelf She has tears streaming down her face, and wastes no time before latching onto Peter. He holds her gingerly in one arm as they go into the living room and sit on the couch.

"I though you were dead!" she says into his shirt.

"My shoulder's hurt, but I'll be okay. I promise," Peter hugs her tight to him, smoothing her hair down.

Tony, on Morgan's other side, says, "Yeah. Don't worry Morguna, Petey's strong. Remember that one time he picked ME up and twirled me around like a little girl?"

Peter and Morgan both giggle at the memory. "You are a little girl, daddy."

Tony puts his heart over his chest in mock disappointment. "Pete, what have you been teaching my precious little girl!?"

They giggle together again, and then the cops come to arrest the men, and Pepper shows up and wraps her arms around both Peter and Morgan, and then Dr. Cho is there patching Peter up.

Once things calm down, they do watch a Star Wars movie. Morgan falls asleep on Tony's lap, her hand clutching Peter's. Tony stays right there, his arms around both of his kids, and is grateful that no burgers stole two of the most precious things in his life.


	6. Leather bound wrists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter struggles being separated from Tony and May, which is a problem when the Starks go on a two week vacation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I skipped fire (the prompt before this). I fell into the trap of comparing myself and others, and I got discouraged. Nothing felt good enough, so I wasn’t feeling it. I’ll come back to it eventually, it’ll just be later. 
> 
> Anyway, here’s the “Leather bound wrists” prompt. Thanks to everyone who’s left Kudos. It means a lot, especially right now! 💜

Ever since Peter had basically been raised from the dead, he’d had separation anxiety from Tony and May. 

In Tony’s words, he’d been a “clingy spider-baby.”

But Peter couldn’t help it. Anytime he was away from them, he just got so worried. His senses were already heightened, and being without his two parental figures made it feel especially painful. Added to that, his spider-sense felt dialed to an 11 so that it became a constant buzzing in his head. And then there was this feeling like his rib cage was too tight. He no longer had asthma, but it became hard to breathe just the same.

The first time he’d noticed it was when May went back to work. He hadn’t been by himself yet since the world had been saved, and he’d been just fine until it was time to sleep, and the thought of laying down in a dark room in an empty apartment made his skin crawl and his stomach turn. So, he had fallen asleep on the couch with the TV on, but woke up screaming at 3 AM because of a nightmare about Titan. His skin crawled and his breath came in gasps as he remembered his mentor getting slammed with a moon and the feeling of his body slowly ripped apart at the same time it desperately tried to hold together.

He tried to breathe, to get air, but his chest was just so tight. He didn’t know what to do, so he’d called Tony. Tony had been asleep- he slept much better now that he had a wife and daughter- but woke up quickly to the call, turning the sound down and sneaking out the door so he didn’t wake Pepper.

“Kid? Wha-“ he yawned. “What’re you doing up?”

“Bad dream. Can’t breathe.” Peter had choked out, but he was already feeling better. Just hearing Tony’s voice had calmed him down tremendously. And then Tony started coaching him through some breaths and soon the tightness was gone. Tony sent a suit to be by Peter until May got home that night.

Well, things had been a little better since then. Peter went to counseling (Tony had been adamant about it after a similar experience happened three other times), and it had helped a lot, but the therapist had told him he had separation anxiety. It was just so stupid. So stupid. He was 16. Babies and nervous dogs had separation anxiety, not 16-year-old boys. Yet here he was.

Tony and May had been seriously great. They’d all taken turns to make sure he wasn’t alone. Even Happy, Pepper, Morgan, Ned, and MJ had helped. But nobody had the same effect that Tony did. Tony could calm Peter down faster than anybody else. Something about knowing his hero was there was enough to loosen the tightness in his chest and dull his senses back to normal.

But Tony was leaving. For two weeks. On vacation.

Peter was going to DIE. 

Tony brought it up months ago, wanting to give a Peter as much a heads up as possible after everything started happening. Peter had taken it quite well (on the outside. He was freaking out on the inside). Now the time was here.

Peter’s leg kept bouncing no matter how hard he tried to keep it still. He kept glancing at the clock, his chest getting tighter with every passing hour. It was a good thing he was a boy genius and knew everything they were learning, cause he definitely didn’t pay attention at all that day.

Finally the bell rang, and his stomach seemed to vibrate with it. He got up on stiff legs and walked to his locker. Ned and MJ were close behind him, and he could sense the looks am they were giving each other. 

“I can literally feel you guys worrying. Stop. I’ll be okay.” He was glad he kept the tremor out of his voice.

“Peter, we know you. You’re already freaking out, we can tell. Can we do anything to help?” Ned asked, gently.

Peter sighed in defeat. He had the best friends in the world, even if they were incredibly bossy sometimes. “Yeah, okay. You’re right. But it just feels so...so stupid, ya know? Mr. Stark’s only gonna be gone for two weeks and I should be better. I’m not a baby!”

“Peter. We both blipped too, but we didn’t go through what you did,” MJ said. She had figured out about Spider-Man a few weeks ago, and when Peter had had a small panic attack in school when talking about space, he had told his best friends about Titan. They’d all cried that day.

“Yeah. Peter this doesn’t make you weak. You’re gonna be okay. I promise,” Ned’s enthusiasm helped relieve some in the pressure in Peter’s chest.

“Okay. Thanks, guys. I just...don’t know what to do. And I feel so weak. I appreciate your support.” Peter hugged his friends, they all promised to text each other later, and Peter started walking home.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts, and his Spidey sense was already haywire, that he didn’t notice Happy driving alongside him until he rolled down the window and called out to the teenager.

“Peter. Earth to Parker!” 

“Happy. Hey. Hey. Wha- what’re you doing here?!”

“Boss wanted me to bring you over to see him off.” _He wanted to make sure you’re gonna be okay_ are the words that aren’t spoken.

So Peter hops into the back seat, and makes quiet conversation with Happy until they make it to the compound.

Tony is there immediately, pulling Peter into a tight hug, and the prickle on his neck stops immediately. Peter gulps in some air, feeling like he can finally breathe for the first time that day.

”Hey kid. You alright?”

“As alright as I can be, ya know?”

”I promise I’ll call every night. And I’ll send pictures. May or Ned or MJ will be with you so you’re not alone.”

Peter took a deep breath. “Yeah. Yeah, Mr. Stark. You deserve a break! Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine!” He didn’t know if he was trying to convince Tony or himself more.

After another minute, Tony let go to allow Pepper to pull Peter into a hug as well. Ever since the battle and almost losing Tony together, the two had gotten pretty close. Then Morgan, in all her energetic glory, crashed into Peter and he immediately scooped her up, laughing.

“Petey, I’m gonna miss you so so much!” His heart warmed at her easy and genuine affection.

”No you won’t, Mo! You’re gonna be having so much fun at the beach with your dad and mom. You won’t even think about me!”

She wrapped her arms even tighter. “I will! It would be more fun if you were coming.”

”I know, but I got school, little monkey!”

“I don’t wanna go to school. Ever.” Morgan made a face.

“But you have to if you wanna make things in the lab like your daddy. It might not be so fun, but you learn things at school.” Morgan had definitely inherited her dads love for knowledge, and the brain for it, too, and she brightened greatly at Peter’s words.

Behind Morgan’s head, Tony and Pepper were making gooey faces watching the interaction, and Peter grinned at them as he gave Morgan one last squeeze and put her down.

The Starks boarded the plane and Peter tried all the breathing techniques he could think of trying to keep his chest from being too tight. It helped for a little bit. And then when he went to Ned’s to do homework, it helped even more. Maybe he really would be okay.

***

”Hey, Underoos. How’re you doing?!” Tony voice coming from the phone seemed to have the same effect as actually hearing him, and Peter heaved a happy sigh.

“It’s actually been okay today. Neds been super helpful, and his mom made some delicious food. I love Polynesian food,” Peter moaned happily.

“Good. I’m glad. Mexico is pretty hot, but it’s exactly what the doctor ordered after everything with Thanos. Morgan is absolutely loving the ocean. She keeps pretending she’s Ariel, and naming crabs and little fishes she finds. And she’s acquire quite a collection of shells and rocks.”

Peter chuckled at the image. “I’m so glad you guys are having fun!”

They talked for a few more minutes about class and friends and Mexico before saying goodbye, and Peter felt a lot lighter than he imagined he would that night. It still sucked, but Ned was there, and Tony was just a phone call away.

***

The two weeks passed surprisingly quick. Peter only had to make three emergency calls to Tony when he got so anxious he couldn’t breathe, which was already better than he’d expected. He realized he’d probably made himself more anxious in anticipation than he really needed to.

When May was home, they would snuggle on the couch together, watching a movie and just enjoying each other’s company. When she had to work late, MJ and Ned would come over and they would hang out and order pizza while doing homework and bingeing Netflix (Tony had bought Peter a subscription when Peter had admitted he didn’t have one). Then MJ would go home (with a Spider-Man escort), and Ned would be Peter’s guy in the chair while he patrolled and they’d spend the night together. Or Peter would go over to Ned’s and play games and have dinner with his family, which was just as fun.

And Tony, true to his word, had called each night, releasing Peter’s lungs enough for hi to fall asleep. Morgan had talked to him too, excitedly telling him about the soft sand, and the little fishies she’d seen. They were all in heaven. But Peter was ready for them to come home so he could breathe normally again. He’d been better than he expected, but he still felt a near constant buzzing that was fairly painful and a tightness in his chest that wouldn’t leave except when he was with May or talking to Tony.

Two weeks after the day Happy picked him up from school to see them off, Peter was again bouncing and anxious, but for totally opposite reasons this time. The bell rang and MJ and Ned grinned as Peter nearly ran down the hall, stuffed some stuff in his locker, and was out the door with a quick “seeyoulaterbye,” their knowing chuckles trailing after him.

The car ride to pick Tony, Pepper, and Morgan up felt longer than ever before because Peter was so excited to see his mentor. He bounced in the seat and then on the tarmac of the private airport until the plane finally, finally touched down and three of his favorite people walked off.

Morgan reached Peter first, jumping into his arms without hesitation, and planting a sweet kiss to his cheek. “I thought about you every day,” she promised, seriously. “Daddy and mommy agree that you and Aunt May need to come with us next vacation.”

“You did? Well, I thought of you every day,” he booped her nose, making it wrinkle, and she booped him back. “And I’d love to come with you next vacation!”

Then Pepper reached him, wrapping her arms around both kids, and smiling warmly at Peter before taking Morgan from him so Tony could wrap him in a hug.

Peter breathed deeply as he buried his face in his mentor’s shoulder. His body relaxed in the silence as his spidey-sense calmed down, and his chest loosened to allow air fully into his lungs. Unbidden, a few tears sprung to his eyes, and he swallowed thickly to keep them from falling.

”Man, I missed you, kid.”

“Missed you too, Mr. Stark.”

***

“Morguna, don’t we have something to give Peter, here,” Tony called, giving his daughter a significant look.

Peter looked up from where he was helping Morgan do a puzzle at the kitchen table and gave Tony a quizzical look.

He was spending the weekend with the Starks, and it was the most relaxed Pete had felt in a while. He and Pepper had laughed and joked as they did the dishes after dinner, mostly making fun of Tony, who was clearing the table and giving them looks of mock betrayal at every joke. (“Morgan is my new favorite, kid. I’m disowning you and selling all your toys to MIT.” “Yeah? Then who would help you in the lab when you can’t reach a tool, old man?”).

May joined them shortly after, and Morgan had insisted on doing a puzzle with her brother and Aunt May. Evidently, the gift was more important, because she’d abandoned the jigsaw in favor of tugging on Peter’s arm in excitement.

”Oh, yeah! C’mon, Peter, you’re gonna love it!” Peter laughed and allowed the little girl to pull him into the living room, sitting where she authoritatively told him to.

Tony handed Peter a little bag, which he gently opened and pulled out a simple but elegant leather bracelet. He could tell it was handmade, and woven into the simple braid were red and blue.

Peter glanced up, speechless, and saw Tony holding up a wrist with an identical bracelet.

Tony looked slightly sheepish as he explained, “That style of bracelet is all over Mexico, and I thought you might like it.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I know it’s been hard for you lately, and I just thought maybe having something that you know we’re both wearing, something physically connecting us, might help when things get hard.”

Peter didn’t waste a moment as he threw himself into his mentor’s arms, not even trying to stop the silent, grateful tears from flowing. This was his family. With them, he could get through anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of the bracelet came from my own experience, actually. My parents have traveled a lot, and whenever they go someplace, they buy me a bracelet! It’s something small that’s not too expensive, and something I will actually wear. The leather reminded me of bracelets I’ve seen in Mexico! Anyway. Hope y’all enjoyed!


	7. Dark state of mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An accident with some Alien tech allows Peter to read minds. He’s not so happy about what Tony’s thinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know how much I like this one, but I kinda wanted a fic with Peter comforting Tony. I haven’t seen too many of those. This is late, but I figured as long as I’m writing, that’s what matter, right? :)

“Peter, stop!” At Tony’s bark, Peter’s hand froze. He looked nervously at his mentor. “We don’t know what that does. You can’t just go touching things, underoos.”

Peter nodded sheepishly, and moved away from the alien tech he’d been going to look at. “I wasn’t going to touch it,” he mumbled.

“I know. But knowing you, you’d end up accidentally bumping something and setting it off.” 

Peter folded his arms and huffed. “No I wouldn’t.”

“I heard that.” 

The two chuckled at the same time, so used to each other’s presence now. It had been a bit awkward at first, after Peter had been brought back and Tony had nearly died getting rid of the stones. They’d circled around each other for a while, each worried that they were unwelcome by the other. Pepper and May had forced them to sit down and talk. They’d both cried, and eventually ended up right here: moving seamlessly around each other, wordlessly communicating what tools they needed, and finishing each other’s equations. It was pure bliss for both of them.

The bliss quickly dies, though, because as Tony predicted, Peter tripped and the screwdriver he was carrying flew out of his hand. 

It seemed to fly in slow motion as the two hero’s watched its arc through the air. There was a clank as it hit the alien tech and then a whirr as the tech activated. Faster than he could blink, Tony was hitting the ground as something slammed into him, and there was a blinding flash of purple light. Good grief, Tony hated the color purple. 

Rubbing the back of his head, he sat up. “What’d I tell you kid? I knew you’d trip and-“ he stopped talking as he looked around, not seeing the brown curls or familiar doe eyes anywhere. 

His heart stopped as he saw the kid lying limp on the floor. It had obviously been him who knocked Tony over, taking the blast himself. 

Tony crawled over to Peter, pulling his body into his lap. “HELP! FRIDAY, get Dr. Banner here NOW. Peter, kid, open your eyes. Please. I need you, please, don’t go.”

Tony was reaching panic levels, his breath coming in great gasps as he rocked his kid’s lifeless body. He tried so hard not to think of Titan again, but his kid was dead his kid was dead he lost him again and ohmygosh. Tony couldn’t stop the tears or panic from welling up. 

Bruce burst in and tried to take Peter, but tony couldn’t let go. He couldn’t. He had to hold on the body. At least there WAS a body this time.

“Tony!” Bruce’s firm but gentle voice broke Tony’s spiral of thought. “He’s still breathing, but I need to get him to the med bay right away. You have to let him go, Tony, so we can help him. You can come with us, but you need to let go.

Finally, Tony got his fingers to loosen their grip on Peter’s sweatshirt, an MIT one he stole from Tony, and stood up on shaking legs. There was no blood, no destruction, nothing to suggest that anything out of the ordinary had happened. Except a lifeless, limp Peter.

Tony was freaking out. What the  heck had happened?

***

Peter was feeling great, despite having been told he had been unconscious for a number of hours.

Tony had apparently freaked out, and Bruce had barely been able to get him to let go of his body. A twinge of guilt twisted his stomach. This had been all his fault. If only he wasn’t so clumsy!

The only other thing bothering Peter was a stupid migraine. He’d told Bruce about it, but no tests had been conclusive. They were gonna do an MRI tomorrow if it hadn’t gone away, but they’d ruled out a concussion, so they weren’t too worried.

Suddenly, it felt like something  popped . Peter gasped, and then the pain was gone. His migraine had disappeared. There was silence for a second before a flood of sound came rushing in. Peter was used to sensory overload, so he closed his eyes and breathed, trying to focus on one sound. He heard Tony’s voice, and focused on that.

_ So stupid. I’m so stupid. Gotta get it together. The kid is fine, he’s okay, he’s okay. You’re not there. Not on Titan. Never again. Breathe, Tony, freaking BREATHE! _

The words were disjointed and they sounded off. Peter considered, trying to figure out why the words sounded different, but he couldn’t dwell on it for too long. Tony was still panicking and he had to get to him. 

He stood up, glad his legs weren’t weak from his bout of unconsciousness, and walked out the door to find his mentor

***

Tony stood in the bathroom, breathing hard. The water ran, and dropped off his fingers and face, but it had done nothing to quell his rising panic. 

The noise was suddenly too loud and Tony angrily shut off the faucet, and sank to the floor, hiding his face in his knees.

_ Breathe. In 1-2-3-4, hold 1-2-3-4, out 1-2-3-4 _

Suddenly the door opened, and Tony jumped five feet in the air, then felt incredibly stupid as he recognized the big brown eyes looking back at him.

“Mr. Stark? You okay, there?”

_ Focus Tony, get it together, the kid needs you. Quit being weak. _

“Yeah kid, I’m fine.” The words thankfully sounded almost truthful. Almost. Peter cocked his head and gave a funny look, but didn’t say anything.

_ Geez, I’m such a horrible mentor and superhero. He gets knocked unconscious to save ME and I’m here falling apart. It should’ve been me. He’s so much better. I’m so weak. So stupid. So... _

“Tony, stop. I don’t think you’re weak or stupid,” Peter said, quietly, cutting off Tony’s train of thought. 

Tony sucked in a breath as he processed what Peter said. He hadn’t said any of that out loud. Had he?

“No. You didn’t say it out loud. I don’t know what’s going on, but there was this pop, and then my migraine went away, but now I think...I think I can read minds?” Peter couldn’t quite contain his excitement, but Tony was still in shock. 

“You can...read minds?” His breaths were still coming in gasps, but it was a little easier to breathe.

“Well talk about that in a second. First, we need to talk. Mr. Stark, I thought you knew how much I care about you. I don’t think you’re weak. You know how many times you’ve had to talk me out of panic attacks. You never think less of me, and I will never think less of you. I promise.”

Tony tried to hold in the tears. As God is his witness, he tried. But then Peter’s arms wrapped around Tony, and he couldn’t. He cried and cling onto his boy.

“Breathe Mr. Stark. Breathe. I’m okay. I promise. I honestly feel fine. I’m just worried about you.”

Tony couldn’t speak, but apparently, he didn’t need to.  _ Thanks, kid.  _

“ You’re welcome Mr. Stark.”

***

Peter’s new power had eventually started to weigh on him. The sensory load was just too much, and Bruce and Tony had come up with a way to reverse it for his sanity. 

Tony was a little relieved, if he was being honest. He didn’t want the innocent spider subjected to his dark state of mind. But it had also given him a reason to fight against it, so pros and cons. 

Peter had made Tony promise to continue to fight, and Tony figured it might be a good time to reach out to his therapist again. He’d gotten so much better, but apparently he still had some things to work through.

He took a deep breath as he headed to the lab to start prepping for internship day with Peter, and saw an enveloped being held by DUM-E. And then another on U. And then another on his desk. There were letters everywhere! He spent the rest of the morning reading the notes (one from Peter, and Pepper, and Morgan, and May, and Happy, and pretty much every single one of the avengers), and with every kind work of friendship and love and encouragement, Tony’s heart swelled.

He’d saved Peter’s card for last, and was glad he did. It was a picture, drawn by Peter when he was a younger kid, of Iron Man and a little boy in a mask. Peter was no artist, but Tony could tell what it was. He chuckled in disbelief as he remembered that night; he’d never known Peter was the little boy he saved from the Hammer-drone. 

Written on the bottom in Peter’s scrawling handwriting: “you’ve always been my hero. And you always will be.”


	8. Lose you/farewell forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is given an old Iron Man helmet as part of Tony’s will. He’s surprised when it starts playing messages from Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the few Endgame compliant fics I will do, because Endgame ruined me! I watched Big Hero 6 with my nieces and nephews the other day and the scene when Baymax plays Tadashi’s videos inspired this. Hope you like it!

Peter snuggled closer to May, the familiar feeling of her arms giving him comfort.

Morgan sat on his other side, holding his hand. The little girl had been a surprise, though not unwelcome, when she’d crashed into his life, holding him tight and whispering that she knew all about him and she wouldn’t let him get lost again. He’d held back tears when she called him her brother. The two had become extremely close. 

Pepper sat on her other side as the four huddled on the couch across from the lawyer who’d come to read Tony’s will. Rhodey and Happy sat on another couch while the Avengers stood huddled in a corner.

Peter and May had been surprised to be invited. Even more so when they both received a million dollars. May had also received a few shares of SI, and Peter inherited Tony’s old lab and a letter of recommendation for any university he decided to go to.

Peter didn’t remember anything else, too shocked and emotional to pay much attention.

***

That weekend, Peter stood hesitating outside Tony’s lab with his hand on the key code. It had unlocked at his touch, but he couldn’t bring himself to go in. It wouldn’t be the same without Tony.

Finally, he steeled his breath and opened the door. 

A wave of sadness overcame him at the familiar sight of the lab, and the combination of oil and Tony’s cologne and favorite coffee that still hung in the air. He stumbled to a chair- the one he usually sat in. He couldn’t sit in Tony’s- and choked back sobs as his body shook.

“Peter,” FRIDAY’s voice said from the ceiling. Even though her voice was softer than usual, it startled Peter so that he fell on the floor. “Mr. Stark prepared some videos, and I was instructed to play them for you should you be in distress after his demise. I’ll begin playing them now.”

Before Peter could protest or even register what she had said, the lights dimmed as a holographic Tony appeared, seemingly looking right at him. It’s was so real looking that he could see the tears in Tony’s eyes. Peter wipes at his own tears as he scrambles back onto his chair.

“Hey kid,” Tony began, his voice thick with emotion. “It’s been nearly 3 years since you, uh...disappeared.” Tony stopped. He swallowed thickly and cleared his throat. Then his face softened and he smiled slightly. “I have a little girl now. Morgan. She’s...gosh, kid, she’s the best thing to happen to me since you and Pepper. She’s made me so soft. She’s not even two, and I already can’t say no to her. You’d love her. I still can’t accept that I lost you, but she has given me hope. That’s her middle name, actually. I hope, wherever you are, you’re okay.”

A few tears fall from both superhero’s eyes before the hologram flickers. Tony reappears, now holding a wriggling toddler in his arms. 

“Hey again kid. I don’t know what possessed me to make another one of these, but the last one seemed to help, so here I am again, I guess. This is Morgan. Morgan, say hi Pete!”

Morgan stops playing with Tony’s hair and obediently squishes her fingers together in an adorable baby wave. “Eye, Peed!” She nearly shouts, and Peter can’t help but chuckle through his tears. He’d always had a soft spot for Morgan, and baby Morgan is too cute to handle.

“I just thought you’d like to meet her. I miss you so much, kid, and I wish more than anything that you were really here. I’m trying to live, cause I know you wouldn’t want me to be here moping, but I would give anything to have you back.” Tony wipes his eyes and squeezes Morgan closer. “When we moved into this place, I, uh, I made you a room. It’s stupid, but I just wanted a space for you.”

Tony seems to get too choked up to continue and the holograph flickers again. This time, Tony reappears in a chair, looking comfortable and more at ease than he did in the earlier videos. 

“Me again. It’s been a while. Morgan just turned three, and she’s an absolute spit fire. She gets it from Pepper, I think. Too much time listening to board meetings from her mother’s stomach,” Tony chuckles and Peter can’t help but laugh along, though it’s still thick with the tears that have been coursing down his cheeks for the last 15 minutes. “You know last night, she asked to stay up after bedtime because, and I quote, “bedtime is for the weak.” I swear, you’re teaching her things from the afterlife. Anyway, I finished your room. I’m starting to maybe accept you’ll never see it, but it’s nice to have a space to remember you in. I love you kid.”

The next time the hologram flickers and Tony reappears, he’s pacing. “The avengers showed up yesterday and had this crazy time travel idea. I was going to let it go. I told them NO. But then I splashed water on that picture of us that we took for the fake internship and I just...kid, it was so hard losing you,” Tony looks right at Peter, five years of pain and sorrow written in his eyes. “There’s a chance I can bring you back. I figured this whole time travel thing out, and it’s a long shot, but it could work. And I have to get you back. I have to. If I don’t at least try, it’s like losing you all over again. And I don’t think I can do that. You mean too much to me. I really hope I see you again soon.”

Peter sniffles, as he stares into his mentor’s eyes before the hologram flickers for one final time. 

“Tomorrow’s the day. Tomorrow, I could have both my kids with me.” Peter startles at the word “kid,” but it rolls so easily off Tony’s tongue and it makes Peter feel a comforting warmth in his chest. “I wanted to record one final message in case...in case I’m the one who leaves next time. I need you to know that I love you kid. And I’m proud of you. You are going to go so much good in the world. You’re gonna make such a difference. More than I did, I promise you that. I’m so, so proud of you. Take care of Morgan for me. Tell her stories and get her cheeseburgers, okay? And hug Pepper as often as you can. And please, kid, for me...live. If this is a forever goodbye, don’t say goodbye to your life. Okay?” Tony takes a deep breath, and shakes his head. “Everything is going to be fine, anyway. I’ll see you soon, Pete. I love you.”

And then the hologram disappears. The room is suddenly silent except for Peter’s sniffles. It’s a peaceful quiet, and a warmth settles over Peter. 

He doesn’t tell Morgan or Pepper about the videos, but does what Tony asks. He looks out for and loves Morgan, and he hugs Pepper often, long hugs that are comforting for both of them. And most of all, he lives. 


	9. Gracelessly stabbed, unfortunately

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter can do a lot of things. Ice Skating isn't one of them, but he can't say no to Morgan's puppy dog eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! I'm combining some prompts to save time (graceless, stabbed, unfortunate). I absolutely LOVE ice skating and I wanted Pete and the Starks (plus MJ, May, and Happy) to go ice skating!

Peter Parker could fall until he was nearly 10 feet off the ground and still catch himself. He could web up a mugger in about 3 seconds, 5 if they had a gun or a knife. He could jump over a 10-foot-high wall. He could get shot in the shoulder and be totally healed in just a few days. He could make May laugh after she’d come home crying from a particularly hard day at work, and could get Tony to sleep after a nightmare, and convince Morgan to eat her vegetables (a battle that Tony and Pepper had been losing since day one. Morgan wouldn’t even eat vegetable baby food when she was little.)

Peter Parker could do a lot of things…but he could NOT ice skate.

***

_**Feb. 2010** _

May zips Peter’s coat up tightly and slips gloves onto his hands.

“Maaaaay,” the little boy whines. “It’s too hot.”

“You won’t be hot when you’re on the ice, sweetie,” she answers as she plops a hat onto his head to more whines.

Doors open and close, seatbelts are buckled, and Peter’s complaints fade to the background in favor of excitedly swinging his legs as they drive to the ice-skating rink. Peter had never been ice skating, but he had wanted to go ever since he had watched the Winter Olympics earlier that month. It was the first year he had really paid attention to the sports, and the 8-year-old had been fascinated by the graceful movements of the ice skaters and had begged his aunt and uncle to take him skating.

After May helped lace his skates up tightly, and she and Ben both had their own skates on, the trio hobbled over to the ice rink and stepped on. As soon as his skates hit the slick surface, Peter realized that skating was not as easy as the professional athletes made it look. He couldn’t get the hang of the gliding motion that everybody else seemed to do so easily, and despite his tight grip on wall, Peter’s legs slipped out from under him one a few feet from the entrance, and he fell gracelessly onto his bum. It didn’t hurt, but suddenly there were bodies all around him, sharp skates gliding past his gloved fingers. Peter desperately tried to stand up, panic racing through his veins as he clutched at the wall for support, his only thought _Someone’s going to chop off my fingers!_ His legs couldn’t get purchase on slick ice and his hands found no help either, so he just kept slipping down.

Luckily, Ben wasn’t too far away, and Peter’s struggles ended as his uncle slipped strong arms underneath him and set him back onto his feet. They stayed close together, but Peter still couldn’t let himself relax. His heart continued to race, and he nearly panicked each time he slipped, the close proximity of bladed feet freaking him out.

To make matters worse the ice was starting to soak through both layers of pants he had on, leaving his bottom and thighs uncomfortably cold and damp. Needless to say, Peter and ice had a long distance relationship. He thoroughly enjoyed watching the skaters at the Olympics, but never returned to skate himself.

***

_**2023\. Present Day.** _

Peter’s little sister wanted to ice skate, so he, MJ, May, Happy, and the Starks were at a rink, carefully lacing up rental skates. Morgan had pulled out her puppy dog eyes, and Peter couldn’t say no. He was cursing every known deity he could think of, but he couldn’t. And he was spider-man now. He could handle this...even if his heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest as he stepped onto the slippery ice, memories of his only other experience fresh in his mind despite the nearly ten years difference.

“Peter, you can’t just _walk_ on the ice. Skates aren’t shoes!” MJ laughed as she effortlessly glided past.

“Spiders aren’t supposed to be on ice,” Peter grumbled back. He was clinging to the wall, trying not to bend the rail from holding too tight, gracelessly lifting his feet up and clonking them down, his legs sliding with every step.

“Here. Don’t pick up your feet like your walking. You kick and glide, kick and glide,” she showed him the movement of her feet and Peter tried to copy her movements.

“Hey, kiddo, you’re doing good!” May called, skating past, holding hands with Happy. She knew how scared he was on the ice.

He smiled at her and gave her a shaky thumbs up, but it really wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. Grown up Peter was more athletic and graceful, though there was no professional ice skating in his future, and he started to relax and enjoy himself. He even got up the nerve to hold MJ’s hand for a little bit (keeping close to the wall, of course).

“Hey, kiddo!” Tony was holding Morgan’s hand as he reached Peter’s side, the three skating in synch. “Having fun?”

“Yeah, Mr. Stark! I was kinda scared at first, but I think I’m getting it!”

Famous last words.

In his distraction, Peter’s two skates started to wobble. He helplessly thrust his arms out to the side to try and regain his balance. Tony swerved out of the way of the outstretched limb, only to topple to the ground, Morgan in tow. Peter was the last to hit the ice.

At first, his only thought was amusement. Because they were okay, it was pretty funny to see Tony and Morgan fall. The next thought he had was one of pain. A sharp pain, in his calf. Gasping, Peter looked at where it was coming from. Somehow, he’d fallen just right so that his legs got tangled and one leg impaled the other on the sharp blade.

Morgan screamed as blood started to stain the white ice, and a flurry of activity happened before Peter could register any thought other than _owwww ow oW OW._

Pepper was there, taking Morgan, while Tony and Happy helped Peter up and MJ went to alert an employee at the rink. One employee called a paramedic while another cleared the ice. It ended up not being as bad as it looked, but Peter was still given a towel to hold against it and told he needed stitches. Everyone was in agreement as they changed into normal shoes and headed out of the arena and back to the tower. Tony headed with May and Peter to the med-bay where Bruce was waiting.

"Geez kid, I knew you had problems with the ice, but there's a better way to get out of skating when Morgan wants to go," Tony joked, and Peter was glad for the distraction as Bruce was busy stitching him up.

"I actually had a really fun time, Mr. Stark," Peter said truthfully and looked between May and Tony as he asked, "Can we make this a tradition? Not the falling and me needing stitches, but just...ice skating together?"

Tony's smile softened and he ruffled Peter's hair. "Sure kid. We can." May nodded, and stroked Peter's hair with a soft smile.

Bruce finished up the stitches and helped Peter into a sitting position. "Well, Mr. Parker, you should be good to go by tomorrow thanks to your quick healing. Let me know if you need anything else."

Peter said he would, and they all headed up to the compound where Morgan was waiting with some hot chocolate, a movie ready to watch (complete with a footrest for Peter), and a get well drawing. Peter does get better, and they do go ice skating the next year, no stitches necessary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI, the Winter Olympics mentioned were held in Vancouver, Canada February 12-28, 2010! I had to look it up cause I wanted to be accurate.


End file.
